High blood cholesterol levels are a risk factor for heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Limiting your dietary fat and cholesterol to recommended levels can help to lower high blood cholesterol levels and reduce your heart disease risk.
Background
The American Dietetic Association and U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend adults limit fat intake to 20 to 35 percent of total daily calories. Fat provides 9 calories per gram, so for a 2,000-calorie diet, this means limiting total fat consumption to 44 g to 78 g per day. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, or TLC, diet to help lower blood cholesterol consists of 25 to 35 percent of total daily calories from fat. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, eating plan is a common approach to help lower high blood pressure and consists of 27 percent of calories from total fat.
Recommendations
Certain types of dietary fat affect your blood cholesterol more than others. Although dietary cholesterol does affect blood cholesterol levels, saturated and trans fats pose a more significant risk to blood cholesterol levels and heart disease. The TLC diet consists of less than 7 percent of daily calories from saturated fats and less than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol per day. The DASH diet consists of 6 percent of calories from saturated fat, 150 mg of dietary cholesterol and 2,300 mg of sodium or less. Mono- and polyunsaturated fats can actually help protect against heart disease when used in place of saturated fats, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sources
Sources of saturated dietary fat and cholesterol include high-fat meats, whole milk, cheese, cream, butter and lard. Coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oils are also sources of saturated fats. Shortening and hard margarines are examples of foods that usually contain trans fats. Sources of unsaturated, or "healthy," fats include most vegetable oils such as olive and canola oils, nuts, seeds, soybean oil, olives, avocados and fish oils.
Food Choices
Altering certain food choices can help to reduce dietary fat and cholesterol. Choose lean protein foods such as grilled chicken, baked fish, seafood and lean cuts of beef. Choose low-fat part-skim cheeses instead of regular cheese, and low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt. Use vegetable oil instead of butter when cooking.
Sample Meal Plan
A sample low-fat, low-cholesterol 1,800-calorie DASH meal plan obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 is as follows: Six servings of grains, four or five servings of vegetables, four or five servings of fruits, two or three servings of low-fat or fat-free milk products, six servings or less of lean meats, poultry or fish, four servings per week of nuts, seeds or legumes, two or three servings of fats and oils, five servings or less per week of sweets and sugars and 2,300 mg or less per day of sodium.
References
- Dietary Fatty Acids: American Dietetic Association: Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH
